Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Today's post is on The Poisoner: The Life and Crimes of Victorian England's Most Notorious DoctorbyStephen Bates. It is 352 pages long including notes and is published by Overlook Duckworth. The cover is white with a skull under the red title. The intended reader is someone who likes true crime and historical mysteries. There is very mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book-In 1856, a baying crowd of over 30,000 people gathered outside Stafford prison to watch the hanging of Dr. William Palmer, "the greatest villain that ever stood in the Old Bailey” as Charles Dickens once called him.Palmer was convicted of poisoning and suspected in the murders of dozens of others, including his best friend, his wife, and his mother-in-law—and cashing in on their insurance to fuel his worsening gambling addiction. Highlighting his gruesome penchant for strychnine, the trial made news across both the Old World and the New.Palmer gripped readers not only in Britain—Queen Victoria wrote of ''that horrible Palmer” in her journal—but also was a different sort of murderer than the public had come to fear—respectable, middle class, personable—and consequently more terrifying. But as the gallows door dropped, one question still gnawed at many who knew the case: Was Palmer truly guilty?The first major retelling of William Palmer’s story in over sixty years, The Poisoner takes a fresh look at the infamous doctor’s life and disputed crimes. Using previously undiscovered letters from Palmer and new forensic examination of his victims, journalist Stephen Bates presents not only an astonishing and controversial revision of Palmer’s life but takes the reader into the very psyche of a killer.

Review- A true crime book that starts very strong but just fizzes out at the end. Bates has an interesting crime with a lots of details because of all that was written about in its time but he really does nothing to help engage the reader. In addition to that, I felt that he came into the story with an opinion about whether Palmer was guilty or not and I did not think that he was. I think that Palmer was innocent of murder. The newspapers of the time covered this story with great aplomb and that leaves us with lots of rumors and other opinions but very little facts. What facts we can are few but they come from good sources like the other doctors and the like. The book just fizzes at the end because it gets bogged down in all the rumors and the quotes. Good start but the finish is just bland.

I give this book a Two out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Monday, August 14, 2017

Today's post is on Deus Vitae volume 1 by Takuya Fujima. It is 200 pages long and was published by Tokyopop. It is the first in a trilogy. The cover has the main female character on it. The intended reader is adult, likes dark science fiction, and high action. There is foul language, sexuality, and violence in this book. The story is told from third person god perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

from the back of the book- in the year 2068, the Brain Computer- built by humans to be the core of a machine-driven earth- created Selenoids, andriods with abilities far superior to man. They have, in turn, created a virtually perfect society, with only one flaw in need of elimination: humans! This is the story of Ash Ramy, one of the few surviving humans in the revolution organization, bent on freeing Earth from Selenoid rule, and Lemiu Winslet, a selenoid horrified by the inhumanity her race possesses. In a world of artificiality, is real love mankind's last hope?

Review- A high action start to very pretty but very sexual trilogy. There is a lot of nudity and implied sex. The art is very pretty and I liked that best about the first volume. But it is a little light on plot/characters and heavy on action/sex. What you do know that the end of the first volume is Ash is a human and all the slave selenoids are really humans. Ash makes all the girls so crazy for him and the only reason is because he is human. The volume ends with him and Lemiu fleeing from a city as it falls into ruins and they are underground. Maybe the second volume will have more plot or something hopefully but this first volume was just meh.

I give this volume a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Friday, August 11, 2017

Today's post is on The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It is 550 pages long and is published by Alfred A. Knopf. The cover is brown with dominoes on it. The story is told from the first person perspective of the narrator Death. The intended reader is young adult or someone interested in World War Two fiction. There is foul language, no sex, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- It’s just a small story
really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist,
some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of
thievery. . . Set during World War II in Germany, Markus
Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a
foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager
existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she
can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster
father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her
neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in
her basement before he is marched to Dachau.This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

Review- An interesting book about a terrible subject. Having Death as a narrator is always an interesting choice and this book does it well. Zusak talks about a subject that could very easily be overwhelming and too hard for the intended audience but he handles it well. Liesel is a good main character and most of the main cast are interesting and sympathetic. Of course when you have Death as the narrator you know that it is not going to end well. Most of the cast dies and Zusak does not sugar coat it. He does not make anything about this book or subject easy but it is worth reading.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Monday, August 7, 2017

Today's post is on Otomen volume 18 by Aya Kanno. It is the eighteenth in her Otomen
series. It is 200 pages long and is publishes by Shojo Beat. As this is
the eighteenth volume in this series, you need
to have read the first seventeen volumes to understand the story. The cover
is a very light pink with Asuka and Ryo in wedding clothes in it. The intended reader is someone who
likes shojo manga, humor,
and
love stories. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence
in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main
character with moments of the other characters added in for plot
development. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- For the sake of his mom, Asuka turns away from his friends and Ryo... But the unimaginable happens when Asuka's friends stage an intervention at his graduation! With everything on the line, how will things end for our beloved otomen?!

Review- Well Kanno jumps the shark in this final volume. We get an amnesia subplot for the middle of the volume. Asuka forgets the last 10 years since his father left. Of course Ryo saves the day with love by baking Asuka a cake and he remembers her when he eats, just like the father and son story from earlier in the series. The series ends with Asuka and Ryo getting married and Juta starting a new series about them. All in all I liked this series a lot. I think that Kanno did some interesting things with the plot and characters. I would read her next series.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money,

Friday, August 4, 2017

Today's post is on The Thief of Always by Clive Barker. It is 225 pages long and is published by Harp Collins. The cover is very colorful with a fantastic house and face under it. The intended readers are older children or people who like stories with just a little bit of creepy. The story is told in third person close of the main character. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket-Master storyteller and
bestselling novelist Clive Barker creates an enchanting tale for both
children and adults to cherish and retell. The Thief of Always tells the
haunting story of Harvey, a bright 10-year-old who is suffering from
the winter doldrums, and of a creature who takes him to a place where
every day is filled with fun, and Christmas comes every night.
Illustrated.

Review- This is a children's story by a master of horror and it works. It has very light horror in it, just enough to make it a little creepy but no nightmares from this one. Harvey is a good main character, he is brave, smart, and just enough like a normal child that you can see yourself in him. The art of the beginning of each chapter helps give some form the fantastic and the horrors that Harvey and the other children see. Once Harvey realizes what is really going on with the House and the children, he first leaves then he comes back to stop the bad guy. The final fight is clever and really brings home the fact that Harvey is a child and Mr. Hood/the House is a being of great power and no morals. So when Harvey outwits him it is very satisfying.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from a friend.

Book Review Rating System

5 Stars = This book is a must read
4 Stars = This is a really good book
3 Stars = It was okay
2 Stars = Unsuccessful in coming up to expections
1 Star = Could not get into or finish the book or I was angry with that book that I wrote a strongly worded letter about it.